Venir, meaning “to come,” is one of the most important verbs in the French language. If you want to talk about movement and origins, mastering its conjugation is essential.
Venir is an irregular verb, which means that its forms don’t follow predictable patterns. This requires careful study and practice to learn.
This guide provides a comprehensive overview of venir conjugation in French across a variety of tenses and moods. We’ll also give you practical examples and tips to help you learn.
“Venir” in the present tense (le présent)
The present tense is used to describe things happening now. Here’s how to conjugate “venir” in le présent:
- Je viens (I come)
- Tu viens (You come)
- Il/Elle/On vient (He/She/One comes)
- Nous venons (We come)
- Vous venez (You come – formal/plural)
- Ils/Elles viennent (They come)
For example:
- Je viens chez toi (I’m coming to your house)
- Tu viens au cinéma? (Are you coming to the movies?)
Remember, the present tense isn’t just for things happening right now. It’s also for habits and general truths.
Passé Composé Conjugation of Venir
The passé composé is a French past tense used to describe actions that are completed. To form this tense with venir, you’ll use the auxiliary verb être and the past participle venu(e)(s).
Because venir is conjugated with être, the past participle has to agree in gender and number with the subject. Here’s how it looks:
- Je suis venu(e) (I came)
- Tu es venu(e) (You came)
- Il est venu / Elle est venue / On est venu(e) (He/She/One came)
- Nous sommes venu(e)s (We came)
- Vous êtes venu(e)(s) (You came – formal/plural)
- Ils sont venus / Elles sont venues (They came)
Here are a few examples:
- Je suis venu chez vous (I came to your house)
- Nous sommes venus en voyage (We came on the trip)
The imperfect tense (l’imparfait)
The imparfait describes things that used to happen or that were in progress in the past. It’s often used to set the scene or give background information.
Here’s how to conjugate venir in the imparfait:
- Je venais (I was coming)
- Tu venais (You were coming)
- Il/Elle/On venait (He/She/One was coming)
- Nous venions (We were coming)
- Vous veniez (You were coming – formal/plural)
- Ils/Elles venaient (They were coming)
For example: Je venais chez toi (I was coming to your house)
Simple Future (Le Futur Simple) Conjugation of “Venir“
The simple future tense describes actions that haven’t happened yet but will happen.
Here’s how to conjugate “venir” in the simple future:
- Je viendrai (I will come)
- Tu viendras (You will come)
- Il/Elle/On viendra (He/She/One will come)
- Nous viendrons (We will come)
- Vous viendrez (You will come – formal/plural)
- Ils/Elles viendront (They will come)
For example: Je viendrai chez toi (I will come to your house).
Conjugating Venir in the Conditional Tense (Le Conditionnel Présent)
The conditional tense is used to talk about things that would happen, or might happen under certain conditions.
Here’s how to conjugate venir in the conditional:
- Je viendrais (I would come)
- Tu viendrais (You would come)
- Il/Elle/On viendrait (He/She/One would come)
- Nous viendrions (We would come)
- Vous viendriez (You would come – formal/plural)
- Ils/Elles viendraient (They would come)
For example: Je viendrais chez toi (I would come to your house).
Venir in the present subjunctive
The present subjunctive expresses doubt, uncertainty, or necessity. You’ll often see it after phrases like il faut que (it is necessary that).
Here’s how to conjugate venir in the present subjunctive:
- Que je vienne (That I come)
- Que tu viennes (That you come)
- Qu’il/Elle/On vienne (That he/she/one come)
- Que nous venions (That we come)
- Que vous veniez (That you come – formal/plural)
- Qu’ils/Elles viennent (That they come)
For example: Il est important que je vienne chez vous (It’s important that I come to your house).
How to use “venir de” to talk about the recent past
The phrase “venir de + infinitive” is how you talk about things that just happened in French. Here’s how it breaks down:
- Je viens de + infinitive (I have just…)
- Tu viens de + infinitive (You have just…)
- Il/Elle/On vient de + infinitive (He/She/One has just…)
- Nous venons de + infinitive (We have just…)
- Vous venez de + infinitive (You have just…)
- Ils/Elles viennent de + infinitive (They have just…)
For example: Je viens de manger (I have just eaten).
“Venir” with Prepositions
To make things more interesting, “venir” often pairs with prepositions to create new meanings.
- Venir à (to come to): For example, Je viens à la maison means “I’m coming home.”
- Venir de (to come from, to have just): So, Je viens de Paris translates to “I come from Paris,” and Je viens de finir means “I have just finished.”
- Venir chez (to come to someone’s place): Like in the sentence, Je viens chez Marie, which means “I’m coming to Marie’s place.”
Conclusion
If you want to speak French fluently, knowing how to conjugate “venir” is a must. Practice using “venir” in different situations to improve your understanding and memory. Don’t worry if it seems tricky at first, since it’s an irregular verb. If you keep practicing and using French regularly, you’ll master it soon enough!